by Jessica Fields | Dec 17, 2025 | Christmas, Jesus for All
The Angles said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10, ESV
The angel doesn’t promise mild contentment or fleeting cheer. He announces great joy. The kind of joy that can survive a dark night, an uncertain future, or a life that feels wildly out of control. The kind of joy that doesn’t disappear when circumstances shift—because it was never built on them in the first place.
Our culture is deeply committed to happiness. Happiness says, If things go my way, I’ll be okay. It’s driven by comfort, pleasure, success, and control. When life cooperates, happiness shows up. When it doesn’t, happiness quietly exits the room. And if we’re honest, most of us have been trained to believe the lie that if we just manage our lives better—work harder, buy smarter, scroll less (or maybe more?)—we can secure happiness. But it’s exhausting. And it’s not working.
Joy, Scripture tells us, is something entirely different.
Biblical joy is not circumstantial; it’s anchored. Hebrews reminds us that Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), which means Christian joy is rooted in Someone who does not change. Joy flows from the steady confidence that God is in control, Christ is on the throne, and the story is not finished—even when the middle chapters feel messy.
This is why the angel’s announcement matters so much. Good news of great joy declares that history has shifted. God has come near. The long-awaited King has arrived. And because Jesus has come, joy is no longer something we chase—it’s something we receive. Not because life is easy, but because God is faithful.
And yet, joy needs space. Margin. Room to breathe.
Our overstimulated, overbooked, comparison-driven lives leave very little room for deep joy to take root. When every spare moment is filled, and every quiet space is swallowed by noise, joy is crowded out—leaving only surface-level happiness behind. Scripture consistently connects joy with stillness, trust, and presence: “He leads me beside quiet waters… He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2–3). Joy grows where trust is practiced and where God is given our unhurried attention.
The Christmas story reminds us that this joy is not reserved for a select few. Shepherds heard the announcement first—ordinary people, living ordinary lives. From the very beginning, God made it clear: Jesus is for all. And so is great joy.
A Response for the Week:
This week, intentionally create a small pocket of margin. Turn off the noise. Sit with the Lord. Ask yourself: What is my joy anchored to right now?Then practice gratitude—name a few truths about God that bring you joy, regardless of circumstances. Let that list become your prayer.
Great joy doesn’t come from having life under control. It comes from trusting the One who is. And because Jesus has come, that joy is available to all, even now.
by Jessica Fields | Dec 10, 2025 | Christmas, Jesus for All
The Angles said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10, ESV
If Week 1 began with “Fear not,” Week 2 picks up with heaven’s next breath: good news. Not average news. Not seasonal news. Not “your package finally arrived” news. This is the kind of news that changes everything—then and now.
When the angel spoke to the shepherds, the world was heavy with waiting. Israel longed for rescue. Rome ruled with intimidation. People were tired, afraid, and unsure of what God was up to. In other words… not that different from us. And right into that mess, God announced something better than anyone expected: salvation.
But salvation in Scripture is never just about being rescued from something—it’s about being rescued for something. The word itself means healing, wholeness, deliverance, restoration. Salvation is God stepping into our broken places and making them new. Salvation is God refusing to leave us as He found us.
This is why the angel’s news is actually good news:
Through Jesus, heaven opened the door for us to become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Through Jesus, God removes our heart of stone and gives us a new heart and new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26).
Through Jesus, we are not only forgiven—we are filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
And through Jesus, we are empowered to live the abundant life He promised—life that starts now (John 10:10).
In the Christmas story, the manger is more than a sweet moment with shepherds and glowing angels. It is the beginning of the new covenant—God’s declaration that He is with us, for us, and, through the Spirit, in us. Jesus did not come just to secure our spot in eternity; He came to transform our lives here on earth. To heal the wounded places. To free what has been bound. To breathe life into the parts of us we thought were gone forever.
And this good news? It’s not exclusive. It’s not gated. It’s not for the spiritually elite or the emotionally tidy. From day one, God made it clear: Jesus is for All. Shepherds. Outsiders. Rule-followers. Rule-breakers. Anyone hungry for hope. Anyone longing for something real. Anyone who needs a Savior who doesn’t just stay “up there” but steps right into the dirt with us.
A Response for the Week:
Set aside a quiet moment today and ask:
“Jesus, where do You want to bring Your good news into my life right now?”
Listen for His whisper. Invite His healing, His freedom, and His abundant life into one specific place.
This week, carry this truth with you: Because Jesus has come, good news is already breaking into your story—right here, right now.
by Jessica Fields | Dec 3, 2025 | Christmas, Jesus for All
The Angles said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10, ESV
Advent always seems to sneak up on us—right between the leftover pumpkin pie and the first frantic Walmart run (or late-night Amazon scroll) of the season. But here we are again, entering these four weeks of waiting, wondering, and preparing our hearts for Jesus. And as we step into this season, we start with the words heaven chose to break 400 years of silence: “Fear not.”
Of all the things the angel could have said to a group of exhausted, overlooked shepherds, God led with courage. Before the announcement, before the joy, before the promise—He spoke directly to their fear. It’s almost as if God knew the weight they carried… and the weight we still carry.
Fear is a quiet companion for many of us during the holidays. Fear of not having enough. Fear of being too much. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the “what ifs.” Fear that maybe this year won’t feel as magical as the last… or that it never really has. Even the bravest hearts can still feel a little shaky when the lights come on and the world tells us to be merry on command.
But the first word of Christmas is God’s gentle interruption: Fear not. Not because everything suddenly makes sense. Not because your circumstances instantly change. Not because you have to muster up some kind of super-spiritual cheer. But because Jesus has come near.
The God who spoke galaxies into existence stepped into our fragile world as a newborn—small, vulnerable, wrapped in ordinary cloth. He entered the story at the bottom of the ladder, in the fields and stables and margins, so no one could ever say, “He didn’t come for someone like me.” From the very beginning, the message has been unmistakable: Jesus is for all. Shepherds. Kings. Young. Old. The overwhelmed, the joyful, the skeptical, the grieving, the hopeful. Every single one of us.
So as we begin Advent, maybe fear doesn’t disappear in a moment. But it loses its authority when we remember who is with us. We don’t walk into this season alone. We walk with Immanuel—God with us. God for us. God who sees us.
A Response for the Week:
Set aside five quiet minutes today. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal one fear you’ve been holding. Picture laying it down before Jesus, the way the shepherds laid their worries at His manger. Then pray: “Lord, help me receive Your hope. Teach my heart to rest in the promise that You are near and that Your hope is coming into the world.”
And as you go through the week, whisper those first words of Christmas over your own soul whenever anxiety tries to rise: “Fear not.” Jesus has come—and He came for you.
